The Nevada Athletic Commission voted Tuesday to deny UFC
heavyweight star Alistair
Overeem’s request for a continuance to present his case, as
well as a subsequent request for a conditional fight license.

Overeem will now be prohibited from applying for a license in
Nevada for nine months, post-dated from March 27, meaning that
Overeem may not apply again until Dec. 27.

Overeem was scheduled to challenge reigning UFC heavyweight
champion Junior dos
Santos on May 26 in the main event of UFC
146 before “The Demolition Man” had a pre-fight drug test
flagged by the NAC. The test, which was conducted March 27 at a
pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas, revealed that Overeem’s
testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E) ratio was 14-to-1, more than
double Nevada’s allowable limit of 6-to-1.

Overeem’s counsel, David Chesnoff of Las Vegas, first presented
Overeem’s request for a 45-day continuance before the commission.
After the request was denied, the deliberation turned toward the
request for a conditional license. Chesnoff explained that
Overeem’s flagged test was the result of an injection prescribed by
Dr. Hector Molina. According to Chesnoff, Overeem was suffering
from lingering injuries sustained last year to his foot, rib, thigh
and elbow.

Following his victory over Brock
Lesnar on Dec. 30 at UFC
141, Overeem visited Molina in January. Molina then injected
Overeem with an anti-inflammatory mixture, which contained
testosterone, to assist the UFC talent in dealing with his
discomfort. However, according to Overeem and his counsel, the
heavyweight had no knowledge that the injected substance contained
testosterone.

At that time, Overeem was also given a vile that contained two more
doses of the mixture. The heavyweight then flew to Las Vegas for
the aforementioned UFC 146 press conference. According to Overeem,
the flight aggravated his symptoms. The fighter arrived in Nevada
on March 22 and called Molina the next day to inform him of his
condition, and Molina suggested he take another dose of the
mixture.

Also present at Tuesday’s hearing, Molina initially verified
Overeem’s story, but when pressed began to hesitate with his
responses, eventually stating that he believed “to the best of his
knowledge” that he may have given Overeem an idea of what was in
the mixture. Molina also admitted that typical procedure dictates
that patients sign a consent form, which he did not present to
Overeem at the time of the January visit.

The doctor first met Overeem in June of 2011 when he conducted
tests on the Dutchman for the Texas Department of Licensing and
Regulation prior to Overeem’s Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix
bout with Fabricio
Werdum. Overeem next saw Molina in January on the
recommendation of acquaintance and fellow fighter Tra
Telligman.

Overeem was also questioned regarding his immediate departure
following the UFC 146 press conference but prior to the
unexpectedly administered drug test. NAC Executive Director Keith
Kizer stated that he had given the UFC notice regarding the random
test. In response, Overeem said he was not personally notified that
the test would be conducted following the presser and was not
attempting to avoid the process.

Chesnoff concluded the hearing by reiterating that Overeem had no
reason to take testosterone for performance-enhancing purposes, as
evidenced by the fighter not using the last remaining dose in the
vile. Overeem then pointed to the fact that he had voluntarily
given up his title shot at dos Santos in an effort to prove that he
is clean. However, Overeem was still denied his request for a
conditional license on the strength of his test result.

While it appeared for several weeks that Overeem might contest the
finding today in an effort to compete on May 26, the fighter
ended all suspense Monday by announcing his reluctant
withdrawal from his UFC 146. As a result, former UFC champion
Frank
Mir will now challenge dos Santos next month.

Overeem had originally been granted a conditional license to fight
Lesnar his past December, though that booking appeared on shaky
ground for a time after the Dutchman postponed a requested drug
test due to travel between the United States and the Netherlands.
The test conducted on March 27 served as the first of two required
random samples that Overeem was expected to submit per the terms of
his conditional license granted in December.

Widely regarded as one of MMA’s top heavyweights, Overeem
simultaneously held titles in Dream, Strikeforce and K-1 before
joining the UFC. A former 205-pound competitor in Pride Fighting
Championships, Overeem proved dominant in his Octagon debut at UFC
141, retiring Lesnar with a first-round liver kick to earn a shot
at dos Santos.